Happy New Year, reader. What does 2025 have in store for AI, run clubs, cocktail culture and cars? Let’s look into the crystal ball. Plus:

20 Trends That Will Define the Lives of American Men in 2025

For all of you reading this who are feeling pessimistic about 2025, there’s another person scrolling through this newsletter who is absolutely psyched about the potential they see in the year ahead. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from helming InsideHook’s annual prognosticatory report the last couple years, it’s not that our country is going down the toilet (or, on the flip side, that we’re on the cusp of a golden age); instead, my main takeaway is that life is truly all about perspective.

In our list of the 20 trends that will define the lives of American men in 2025, there are a number of unsavory situations (unchecked artificial intelligence, potential booze tariffs, Europe’s tourist glut) where our editors have found a surprising upside. Even the true downers here offer up avenues for change. And whatever your demographic makeup, I’m confident our takeaways, compiled by our in-house experts across a range of topics from wellness to style, will help you navigate the next 12 months — no matter your current outlook. — Alex Lauer, Features Editor

Why Practical Effects Are Taking Over Hollywood

Whether you’re a diehard horror fan, a sci-fi aficionado or someone who prefers more mainstream blockbusters, you’ve likely noticed a growing number of movies and TV shows eschewing computer-generated effects for a more human touch. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Substance, Teacup, Terrifier 3 and even some scenes in Wicked have earned praise this year for their use of practical effects — that is, special effects created physically on set, whether through the use of makeup, prosthetics, puppets, pyrotechnics, animatronics, fog machines, fake snow or all of the above.

IN THE NEWS

The FBI intensifies warning over thefts targeting pro athletes.

The EU released details for its device charging mandate.

What New Yorkers' reading habits told us about the year in books.

The Year the Dating Apps Died

BY LOGAN MAHAN

In a moment of astute clairvoyance this time last year, I predicted the demise of the dating apps in 2024. Okay, it wasn’t only my sixth sense. I felt justified in my assessment based on conversations I had been having with friends, experiences being a newly single person myself and the discourse trending on social media apps like TikTok.

There was a shift in the dating landscape by the end of 2023, which only accelerated this year. A new breed of companies began marketing matchmaking to app-fatigued singles; Lox Club, Ambyr Club and We Met IRL are just some of the services that host in-person events where singles can speed date and mingle at happenin’ bars with the purchase of a ticket. Meanwhile, the once-dominant dating app platforms, like Bumble and Hinge, were receiving widespread criticism for treating dating like a game.